


Guardian

by TauriCXIV



Series: FFVII Ficlets [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective!Zack, Threats of Violence, catatonic!Cloud, hurt!Cloud, off-screen violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23882992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TauriCXIV/pseuds/TauriCXIV
Summary: Cloud gets hurt. Zack gets angry.
Relationships: Zack Fair & Cloud Strife
Series: FFVII Ficlets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1734229
Comments: 16
Kudos: 162





	Guardian

The bastard actually had the nerve to whimper—like _he_ was the victim here. Like he _hadn’t_ been the one to leave the red mark on Cloud’s face. Cloud, who had fallen from the bed Zack had left him lying in. Cloud, who’s eyes were glazed from the mako poisoning and couldn’t lift a finger to defend himself.

“What did you do to him?” Zack growled at the pathetic excuse for a man he had pinned by the throat. “Tell me, or I’ll start breaking bones.”

“Nothing! Nothing, I swear!”

“Guess I’ll start with the pinky and work my way up.” It was easy enough to keep the struggling man in place with one hand while Zack seized his little finger with the other.

“Oh, shit! Please! I just slapped him a bit, that’s all.”

Hearing his confession only made Zack angrier. He bent the finger backward, not enough to break, but enough to be painful. “Why?”

“He’s SOLDIER,” the man gasped. “Nobody likes Shinra or their attack dogs here. I was just gonna tell him off, but then he didn’t do anything.”

“So you thought this was your big chance, huh? You thought you’d tell all your friends how you beat up a SOLDIER even though he couldn’t do anything to protect himself? You didn’t notice he was sick? Or did you just not care?” 

The man’s eyes darted to Cloud then back to Zack. 

“He’s not even SOLDIER!” And wasn’t that a sick sort of joke? Cloud had wanted so badly to be a SOLDIER only to have SOLDIER and Shinra destroy his whole life.

The man stayed quiet.

“You’re disgusting. You’ve got no honor.” But Zack still had his. He tossed the man at the door and was only a little satisfied at the thud his body made hitting it. “Get the hell out of here. Run. Before I change my mind and hunt you down.”

The man scrambled to his feet and fled.

Zack closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly, he worked the tension out of each muscle. He wanted nothing more than to make the guy hurt for attacking Cloud, but there was no point. The man was a lowlife with a grudge he’d taken out on an easy target. It was Zack’s fault, really. He shouldn’t have left Cloud alone for so long without making sure he would be safe. It could have easily been Shinra that found him and then what? Instead of just a red mark, he would be carted off to a lab again. A chill ran down Zack’s spine. No. That wasn't going to happen. Not again.

Zack knelt at Cloud’s side then gently eased him up to sit on the bed. Cloud’s eyes were still open—the mako glowed green through his eyelashes. The redness on his cheek was already fading, but the knowledge that it had been there at all still infuriated him.

“Hey buddy, I think we wore out our welcome here.” 

Cloud’s head rolled forward. Zack smoothed his hair back. “I’ll do better next time, I promise.”


End file.
